After working in Jamaica’s media for approximately twenty-two years – with stints at  SunCity 104.9 FM, Bes 100 FM and Styles 96.7 FM – Disc-Jock Redeem is now back at his original home, Roots 96.1 FM, unleashing Positive Vibrations each and every Saturday from midnight to 6am on Sundays.

The six-hour program, which is also streamed live on his Facebook profile, features  various musical genres spanning several decades. What makes the show unique is that unlike other radio programs, Redeem welcomes and promotes music from up-and-coming artists, providing their lyrical content is not negative or derogatory.

Although Roots 96.1 FM is a community radio station based in Kingston, Jamaica, it can be heard right across the island – and the world – via the internet. The station uses four online radio tuners, which means that it broadcasts digitally twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Listen online via one of the following links:

https://zeno.fm/radio/roots-961fm/
https://streema.com/radios/Roots_96.1_FM
https://radiosjamaica.com/roots-961-fm
https://onlineradiobox.com/jm/roots961/?cs=jm.roots961&played=1

The 2022 Jamaica Festival Song album is now live on global music streaming services across the world including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify, Tidal and Pandora.

The album titled ‘Jamaica Festival 2022 Song Competition’ features the ten finalists in this year’s contest. It’s the third consecutive year that finalists in the Jamaica Festival Song Competition have been released on global streaming platforms.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honorable Olivia Grange, who has been leading the initiative as part of her strategy to revitalize Jamaica Festival is urging “lovers of Jamaican music, everywhere, to support the artistes by streaming and downloading the songs.”

According to the Minister, “It is essential that people hear and get to know the finalists and participate in selecting that one song which will drive our Jamaica 60 Independence celebrations. These 30, or so, streaming options are a good medium to expose the music and the performers.”

The winning song will be decided by judges scores as well as public voting via text messaging in Jamaica and via the Reggae Jamaica App across the world. There’s a prize of three million dollars for the winning song to be shared among the producer, the writer and the singer.

^{SOURCE: MINISTRY OF CULTURE, GENDER, ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORT}

The city of Miramar in Florida – which has a very large and vibrant Jamaican community – will be celebrating Jamaica’s Emancipation and Independence (Emancipendence) on Saturday, August 6th, 2022.

The free event will be held at Miramar Regional Park, located at 16801 Miramar Parkway, from 12 to 6 PM EDT.

There will be a farmer’s market, kids zone, cultural stage and live musical entertainment. Legendary Jamaican reggae duo Chaka Demus & Pliers will be performing alongside singers Gem Myers and King Banton.

Reggae crooners Christopher Martin and Romain Virgo are on the lineup of the Grace sponsored Jamaican Jerk Festival in New York on Sunday, July 31st. The men will join Protoje, Cristale, LaaLee, Nigy Boy and Lila Ike at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens from 12 to 8pm.

In addition to the live performances, the event will also have celebrity chefs, arts and craft, kids fun zone and much more. This year the organizers will be celebrating the festival’s 10th anniversary in New York, Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of independence and Grace Foods 100th anniversary.

The 2022 St. Thomas Jerk Festival will take place on Sunday, July 31st at Lyssons Pavilion in Lyssons, St. Thomas (Jamaica). The all day family event will feature performances by several artists from different genres: Duane Stephenson (reggae), Bounty Killer and Ding Dong (dancehall) and two of the islands’ biggest gospel artists: Kukudoo and Kevin Downswell.

Paid patrons will have an opportunity to win a motorbike, as two will be given away as the gate prize. And tickets, which can be purchased from firstinlinejadotcom, are going for $2,000 (adults) and $1,000 (kids).

Rastafarian reggae/dancehall artist Anthony B will be performing at Eagles Hall – 2965 Boys Road – in Duncan, British Columbia on Friday, August 19th. The event, which is being presented by The Cowichan Reggae Society, is an early show that will run from 7pm to midnight. Click here for tickets.